


Janey Dollar and the Crabby Fraud Matter

by LaBoodle



Category: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (Radio)
Genre: Baltimore, Denver, F/F, F/M, Investigations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaBoodle/pseuds/LaBoodle
Summary: Janey Dollar is the granddaughter of Johnny Dollar. She too has an action packed expense account! Read to find out how she solves a case of fraud 2020 style.





	Janey Dollar and the Crabby Fraud Matter

Janey Dollar and the Crabby Fraud Matter by: Lauren Henninger

Her name is Janey Dollar. She’s the granddaughter of the famous Johnny Dollar and is reliving his footsteps, albeit 65 years later. Dollar was the man with the action packed expense account who was truly sincere in his business. In 2020, Janey is now the 35 year old with a similar lifestyle of gallivanting the globe and helping others.   
The following is her Expense Account with the Crabby Fraud Matter …  
Submitted by Investigator Janey Dollar  
To Universal Adjustment Bureau, Baltimore Maryland 

Day 1:

Expense account item 1: $2.50. for a cup of coffee from Atwater’s, it turned out to be a long afternoon of study. Janey was en route to having her second degree, a Masters in TESOL with the illustrious University of Baltimore County UMBC. At the same time she had an obligation to keep up with her past 10 years as an insurance investigator in Baltimore. As she sipped her tasty delight she numerated on how much her life had so beautifully changed for the better in the last year despite 2020 being an absolute nightmare. She didn’t worry so much about greed and corruption in the world. Thoughts of her adult students who needed her and who enjoyed her lesson plans took precedent. However, on occasion, she’d receive a text from Alex, one of her most trusted friends in the Insurance field whom she had worked with most of her career.

Deep in thought Janey notices her phone give a little vibration to illuminate a text, coincidentally from Alex…  
Alex text: “Yo, Janey, ‘sup. I need ur help. Important poobab of John Hopkins University called me this morning asking 4 u. Apparently Mr. Peter Cane has seen an old friend alive whom everyone here in Bmore thinks dead past 5 years. U up 4 it?”

Janey smiled at Alex’s jargon, haha, poobab.  
Janey text: “Sure. Call me in 20? Working on homework now.”

Alex text: “Nerd Alert! heart emoji.” 

20 minutes later…   
Alex: “Peter wants to meet you, is Nick’s at 7pm ok?”

Janey: “Yep, sounds good! Mussels on expense account? You had me at Nicks”. 

7pm that evening, Nicks seafood by the Bay. During these trying times of the Pandemic, Janey, and all employees at Nicks, as well as half a dozen accompanying seafood eating customers, were all wearing masks. Janey’s mask has an upside-down rainbow on it looking like Janey has a colorful smile.

Janey: “Hello, Mr Cane? I’m Janey and I’m happy meet you.” Janey’s smile was evident even under a her mask and made a pretend air handshake. This immediately put Mr. Peter Cane at ease and he imitated her pretend air handshake back.  
Waitress: “Can I get you two something to drink?” 

Peter Cane: “I’d like a can of Natty Bo, and a pound of the chipotle flavored mussels.” 

Janey: “Oooh, I’ll have the same, except can I have the white wine mussels instead?” Janey learned long ago in the business to increase a client’s ease, try to order as close to the client as possible but not the exact same. People are weird but it worked.

Expense account item 2: $42.97. Mussels and Natty Bos at Nicks 

Peter Cane: “I’m glad it’s you looking into this matter. Alex spoke very highly of your reputation for discreetness and compassion, so I’m confident that you won’t judge me for what I’m about to tell you. Four nights ago, in Denver, where I was on business, I saw Jack Reed. Jack and I used to work together, I was his boss. However, five years ago, he was out on a crabbing boat with some friends for the weekend and the boat caught fire from the engine. Jack’s three friends were badly hurt but Jack’s body was never found. As per Jack’s insurance plan with Alex’s company, Jack was considered legally dead after three years and his body was never found.   
When I was in Denver this past week, I saw Jack sitting at a bar called the “Tap Fourteen downtown. I was in Denver for an important business meeting as well as to socially distance visit some family I have there. It was my last night there and I was staying at the Hilton Garden down the street. There was Jack! I went up to him and he said his name was Bill Foreman. No matter how much I insisted he was Jack Reed, he said that I was mistaken. He said he had lived in Colorado for the past 10 years as a private math tutor. He seemed good natured about it, and bought my drink, but I just couldn’t accept because I knew he was Jack Reed.  
Anyway, I went back here to Baltimore as planned the next day and for the past four days, I haven’t told anyone about this. Maybe he really is a man named Bill. But my suspicions got the best of me and so I called Alex Finnegan with Jacks’ insurance asking for your help with this matter. Jack Reed had a considerable policy with Alex’s insurance. And if Jack is still alive after 5 years… if I’m actually correct about this… that would mean that Jack committed serious fraud of 20,000 dollars.” 

Janey: “Hmmmmm. Well, I think you did the right thing Mr Cane. It does sound a bit ludicrous, but my grandfather solved a very oddly similar case to this one nearly 65 years ago. He always told me to never be satisfied until the hunch inside is satisfied. Right now, I have a strong hunch that you are correct. I’m happy to help you out. OOooooh, our food is here! Let’s get stronger with these mussels!”

Peter Cane looks obviously relieved and the two of them enjoy dinner and talk about seafood and the weather. 

After dinner and they parted ways, Janey calls Alex. Janey gets the green light from Alex about her plan to call and hire her friend Anna in Denver to look into this Bill Foreman. Alex gives Janey Jack’s supposed widow’s information as well as a picture of Jack. The widow’s name is Emma Reed and she lives in Catonsville. It was still early in the evening so Janey texts and then calls Emma.

Janey: Hello, Emma? This is Janey Dollar. I’d like to meet up with you tomorrow afternoon over some coffee. I want to talk to you about Jack Reed. Is 4pm ok?

Day 2:

The next morning, Janey calls the crab boat company, “Baltimore Fishing Adventures” and talks to the manager. The manager looks back into their files from 5 years prior and everything about the accident looks truthful from their end. Then Janey calls the head of the Coast Guard of the Chesapeake Bay and they look back into the boating accident for her. No angles there either. 

4:00 pm. Expense account item 3: $11.50 Atwaters’ fancy coffee drinks in Catonsville.  
The two of them walk around Catonsville down Frederick Road talking about Jack Reed. Janey learns that Emma is still in love with Jack but seems sure that Jack didn’t love her back. After the accident Emma saw a grief counselor for a while who recommended getting a cat. Emma apparently became a cat lady these past 5 years with four cats in one small apartment. The two women are friendly but Janey can tell that talking about Jack is difficult for Emma. Emma invites Janey to her place to meet that cats; Flopsy, Mopsey, Cottontail and Bunbun.   
As Emma unlocks the apartment door, there’s a woman on the couch with two of the cats watching Disney plus’ “Mandalorian”. “Who is this?” the woman asks. She is a lanky woman with short cropped hair. She’s obviously immediately jealous and seems over protective of Emma. 

Emma: “This is Janey Dollar. She knew Jack when he used to work with Peter Cane. We got some coffee and were talking about Jack. Janey, this is Haley Danes, a friend of mine. And here are the kitties.” 

Janey smiles and pets one of the cats that was curious about her shoe laces. Upon feeling the tense weird energy of this Haley lady, Janey makes a courteous exit about having to work on lesson plans for her students at Baltimore City Community College. 

As Janey walks back to her car she calls her Colorado detective friend Anna. Anna reports that so far she’s found out that Bill Foreman had been living in Denver for the past 5 years in an apartment downtown. Bill had been a math teacher before the Pandemic really hit and then became an online tutor with several good reviews. 

Right in the middle of walking and talking on her phone, Janey receives a text from an unknown number, but it doesn’t seem to be the usual robot about eliminating student loans. It was a Baltimore area code…  
410-867-5329 : “I can tell u more abt Jack Reed. Meet me at Caton Tavern 1 hr”

Janey: thinks a moment before replying “ok”

Janey turns around and walks to the Tavern to meet whom she thinks might be Haley. She was right. 

Expense Account item 4: $8.00, two beers at Caton Tavern 

Haley explains that she was Jacks’ best friend and attorney. Janey decides to tell Haley that Peter Cane thinks he saw Jack in Denver four days ago. Haley visibly pales and says, “that’s remarkable” in a dead voice. Janey explains that she didn’t dare tell Emma because she didn’t want to get her hopes up. Haley appreciates the discreetness and tells Janey that she can give her all the information that Janey would need to find out if the guy named Bill is actually Jack Reed. 

Haley half-ass apologizes for her gruffness earlier. She admits that she had immediately assumed that Emma was going out on a date with Janey. Janey assures her that she was no romantic competition at all, just business. Janey mentally feels sorry for both of these two women… Eugh, unrequited love is the worst. They plan to meet at the Double TT diner the next morning at 9am.   
Janey walks finally back to her car, replaying all the information and people of the two days in her head. 

Expense account items 5 and 6: 162.00$ and 81.00$, round trip flight and first night hotel.

In her cozy apartment in Hampden, she sits down to her desk. She opens up her laptop and books her flight and her first night at the Hilton Garden for tomorrow with her expense account Visa card. It made her think…Wow, so cheap with the Pandemic. Good thing I’m healthy and don’t have anybody to worry about getting sick with my line of work on planes and whatnot. So sad, so cheap for terrible reasons… 

Day 3:

Expense account item 7: 25$ two breakfasts and tip at the Double TT Diner Catonsville.   
While drinking some starter coffee…

Haley: “Okay, like I said last night, Jack and I were close. I was the one that received all of his personal information when he died. I looked back through all of it and compiled it onto this flash drive for you. Included in it are copies of everything I found; birth certificate, marriage license, passport images, taxes from 2014 and a set of fingerprints.”

Janey: “Holy cow! Fingerprints? What happened there? Those aren’t standard for any one!”

Haley: “Well, before Jack worked for Peter Cane, he worked as an independent contractor for the government in Arlington.”

Janey: “Ah, I see, basically anyone who works in Arlington needs prints done. Thanks! This is amazing. All of this should do the ticket. I’d still like to keep this quiet until I’ve verified what’s real.”

Haley: “I completely agree. I’m a bit depressed about all this honestly. I imagine Mr. Cane feels similarly, if Jack is alive that would make him a suspect of large insurance fraud in addition to the fact that he didn’t come back for Emma. Depressing…” 

Janey: “Yeah, well at least Emma has you and the cat crew.” Food arrives. “And! We have breakfast on expense account! Bon appetite!”

Later on that day…  
Janey has a successful flight to Denver. Yet those were 6 eerie hours, not just from lack of passengers, but everything about the flight industry has adapted due to the Pandemic. Anna greets her at the airport also with an apparent smile under her mask. They talk over the case so far and Janey gives the flash drive to Anna for her to look more into it. Anna drops Janey off at the Hilton Garden and after settling in Janey takes an Uber to Bill Foreman’s house. 

Expense account item 8: 40.00$ Uber rides in and around Denver

Janey knocks on Bill’s door. Bill opens his main door but leaves the glass storm door locked.

Bill: “Yes, can I help you?”

Janey: “Hi, my name is Janey Dollar and I’m a private insurance investigator. Are you Bill Foreman?”

Bill: “Yes, what’s up? If it’s about my neighbors, I don’t know a thing about them.” 

Janey: “About a week ago a man named Peter Cane was here in Denver and claimed he saw you. However, he firmly believes you are a man named Jack Reed. And after seeing your picture and meeting your best friend and wife in Baltimore, I can see why he thinks you are Jack Reed.” Janey presses her phone up to the glass to show the picture of Jack that Alex had given her. 

Bill: “Woah… you’re right! I do look a lot like that guy! I’m not him but I look like I could be his twin or something! Ya know, I remember that old coot, yeah, he kept swearing up and down I was this Jack guy! Did he send you all the way out here from Baltimore? On his say so?”

Janey: “Yes, you see, Jack had a large insurance policy out on his life and so it is definitely something the company needs to look into. I came all the way out here to find out the truth. Would you be open to getting your finger prints done with my detective friend who lives here in Denver?”

Bill: “why not? The sooner you can find out that I’m actually Bill Foreman, the better.”  
Anna comes and gets Bill’s prints and after thanking him for his easy-going nature, the two women leave in Anna’s car. Anna drops off Janey back at the Hilton. 

Janey: “Thanks so much friendship for all the help and rides n things. Lemme know first thing tomorrow when you find out if the prints match… I don’t know about this guy, that was waaay too easy for 2020. A stranger shows up at your door and asks for your prints? Then within 20 minutes he gives them to you? I don’t know…”

Day 4:

After a comfy night’s sleep on expense account but weirdly jet lagged tired, Janey has missed the complimentary breakfast and hasn’t heard yet from Anna. On her phone Janey finds “Snooze Eatery”, an LGBT friendly breakfast joint down the street from the hotel. 

Expense Account Item 9: 18.00$ Brunch at “Snooze Eatery”

As she’s eating wonderful huevos rancheros and drinking a fine cup of café con leche, she gets that familiar buzz in her bag from her phone. It’s a text from Anna.

Anna text: “It’s a boy! Not ours tho. Prints don’t match. What now?”

Janey contemplates for a moment then replies, text: “Keep on him. N get another friend 2 watch. Fingerprints don’t lie, but people do…”

Anna text: “Right chief.”

After eating and while she pays the check with her loving expense account Visa, she receives another buzz in her bag. This time it’s an apprehensive Alex.

Alex text: “What the heck Janey! U on vaycay? Ur expense account is getn $$$$$$.”

Janey: “Cool it. Dude is lying, I know it.”

Alex: “U betr. Or come on home.”

Janey: “U kno I’m good for it.”

Alex: “Yeah, ok… keep in touch. Heart emoji”

Janey is feeling the heat from Alex that she needs to deliver but knows that the best way to get a liar to expose their lies is to make them feel anxious. She was right. After walking around downtown Denver for most of the afternoon Janey decides to land herself where the situation started with Mr. Cane, the “Tap Fourteen”. 

Expense Account Item 10: 50.00$ Delicious beer tab at “Tap Fourteen”.

Woah, over 50 beers on tap and all from Colorado?! Maybe I oughta move out here… Janey gets started on happy hour with a fabulous flight of four beers. As she’s sipping she gets that familiar buzz in her bag.

Anna text: “Bill has left his house in an Uber, following him now. Looks like he’s headed your way.”

Another buzz  
Bill: “Hello, Janey? Any word on my prints? This is Bill Foreman btw.”

Janey: “Hi Bill, yes, no match. Looks like you’re not our Jack Reed. How can I thank you for your cooperation?”  
Janey’s prediction of an anxious person were correct. Now he’s full of confidence maybe I can get him to drink it up with me.   
Bill: “Oh good! Well, I’m heading for happy hour at ‘Tap Fourteen’. You up for padding that expense account you mentioned?”

Janey: “Wow, ESP, I’m already here and upstairs on the roof. I’m happy to treat! Come on up!”

Janey texts Anna:  
Janey: “Hey! U were right! He’s on his way over here to Tap Fourteen! Come on up with a hat on” 

Anna: “On it.” 

A little after Bill arrives and orders his drink, a slinking Anna with a hat on parks herself within earshot of the drinking pair. Anna admires her friends’ skills of drinking without getting wasted and without becoming a lush either. Janey once had a 100-year-old Italian friend whom she drank with a bunch before she passed away a year ago. It was hard on Janey and Anna knows that it still is, but also knows that Janey is grateful that the old lady didn’t live in 2020 and die from it. This drinking skill always reminds Anna of that funny scene of the leading lady in the first Indiana Jones movie that outdrinks everyone at her bar for sweet moola and still keeps her cool. That was Janey, but cooler because of her niceness. 

Bill doesn’t know about Janey’s drinking skills nor about her niceness. So he, and many men over the past decade, have tried to take advantage of her. Poor sots. 

As the night and the drinks continue Bill feels drunk and anxious again. He says he’s got to call a girl he knows named Rachael. Bill goes downstairs and outside to call someone and Anna follows. She takes out a vape pen and smokes a little but is only able to overhear the end of the convo. Bill comes back up to their table. As he does Janey flat out calls him a liar.

Janey: “Look Jack Reed, you have a wife that loves you. You have a best friend who misses you. You have four cats and a boss who would welcome you back if you wanted. Go back to Baltimore.” 

Bill: “I’m leaving. Don’t contact me again. If you do I’ll call the cops.”

Bill leaves and Janey follows out to the street curb.  
Bill: “I thought I told you to leave me alone! My name is Bill!” 

He drunkenly tries to throw a punch with his right fist at Janey but Janey is more sober than he is and has faster reflexes. She successfully dodges the fist but trips a little on the curb. Right as that happens an Uber driver pulls up and Bill piles in. 

Anna runs up to help Janey off the ground.

Anna: “Did he hurt you?”

Janey: “Naw, he didn’t touch me, I just tripped a little. Follow him and text me later when you see what he does.”  
Anna: “You sure you’re okay?”

Janey smiles reassuringly: “Yep, hup to it!” Anna runs off in her car and goes off in the direction that Bill went, which was towards his apartment. In 2020, you can go only one or two places and Anna assumes correctly that after drinking so much Bill would likely only want to sleep it off. As Anna arrives at Bill’s place, she sees him unlocking his door and going inside. 

Meanwhile, Janey goes back inside the bar and orders some chicken tenders and fries, a classic salty go-to after a drinking session. 

Day 5:

Upon waking up at the Garden Hilton Janey receives a text from Anna.  
Anna text: “Our man went back home, str8 2 bed. Got friend watching.”

Janey text: “Thank you.”

After eating a complimentary bagel at the hotel Janey calls a government contractor friend in Arlington. Janey sends the prints that Bill gave in an email to Arlington.

Arlington text: “I can get it back to you in 24 hours.” 

Janey text: “Ur wonderful!”

Janey goes back up to her hotel room and works on homework for the rest of the morning. 

1:00pm Anna texts Janey  
Anna text: “Sum lanky person is visiting Bill. Take Uber n com check it.”

Janey text: “On my way.” 

Janey arrives around 1:30 and they talk in Anna’s car. Apparently Bill had been pacing around and at his computer all morning. Janey decides for them to go inside and shake things up. Just as the two are walking up to the door they hear shots inside. All of a sudden! There are more wild shots and the two drop to the floor but not before Anna is hit in the shoulder and is bleeding. Janey tries to take care of Anna while calling 911. The stranger runs from the scene and drives off in Jack’s car. 

A few hours later at the police station, Janey calls Alex and brings them up to speed. Police Sargent Jim Thursday gives Janey a helping hand while Anna is in the hospital. Police find 2 witnesses who noticed the lanky stranger and think that it was a woman. Based on these descriptions the Denver police put out an A.P.B. The police look into Bill’s phone access and find out later that evening that the phone is in Baltimore.

Janey spends the rest of the evening in the hospital by Anna’s bedside while she rested after undergoing emergency surgery. Around midnight Jim Thursday texts Anna about finding out that the phone is in Baltimore. Anna slowly wakes up and Janey brings her up to speed. Bill is dead and they both think the same. Because lanky stranger took the car, which still hadn’t been located by the police, and also took Bill’s phone, which was in Baltimore, that Bill really was Jack. After ensuring her friend was in good hands Janey returns to her hotel room. She reschedules her return ticket for Baltimore for noon mountain time and arriving in Baltimore around 6pm. 

Day 6:

Expense account item 11: $285.00 total for 3 nights plus tax at the Hilton

Janey’s flight goes smoothly. As soon as she lands she calls Alex and the Baltimore police to meet her at Emma’s apartment. While in the Uber ride there she gets a flurry of text messages. She had been on airplane mode. The most interesting one comes from Arlington and it solidifies her and Anna’s thoughts, the fingerprints were indeed Jack Reed’s. 

Janey pulls up to Emma’s and with Alex and the police waiting nearby she knocks on the door. Haley opens the door and pales. Emma’s happy to see Janey.

Janey: “You better talk… Now.”

Haley breaks down and explains that she made a deal with Jack the past 5 years to keep him dead. Haley could afford to pay his rent in Denver and make the fake prints that she had initially given to Janey. She did it because she was in love with Emma and Jack wasn’t. Jack was actually in debt and this was his opportunity to start fresh in Colorado. Emma sits in shock as Haley keeps talking. But then, along comes Janey Dollar and her detective friend Anna. It made Jack very nervous and call Haley a lot. Haley explains that when she arrived and met up with Jack that he said he was going to tell Janey everything and go back to Emma. Haley couldn’t take that so she shot him and killed him. Then she saw Janey and Anna coming up and shot off a few more. As the confession finishes the police come in and put cuffs on Haley. Emma just sits in shock. 

Alex: “Well, I’m glad your friend Anna is okay. We’ll make sure to pay all her bills and give her plenty of compensation for all the help she gave for this. I’ll let Peter Cane know that he was correct up until yesterday evening about Jack Reed. Thank you Janey for the usual amazing work you do.” 

Expense account TOTAL: $636.97  
Remarks? Alex’s insurance company ended up not having to worry about the fraud committed by Jack because he was dead. As for Haley Danes? That’s up for the courts to decide. And for Emma? Well, now she can really move on and meet other people who also like cats, hopefully who are a lot nicer than what she put up with the past 5 years.   
Next week! A total mystery complete with strange people, their pets and online pumpkin pie eating contests. Join us won’t you? Sincerely, Janey Dollar


End file.
